Broadband services can be delivered via existing cable infrastructure from MSOs, digital subscriber lines (xDSL), public switched telephone networks, integrated service digital network (ISDN), or T1 connections from telecommunications operators or internet service providers, satellite from satellite operators, or wireless services (such as, e.g., cellular, 802.11 or Wi-MAX standards) from wireless service providers, among many others.
Subscribers can typically access multiple broadband communications devices or a single integrated device at their location to provide such varied services. Such device can transmit information to and receive information from other networked devices such as, for example, terminating systems. Examples of such broadband devices include cable modems (CM), multimedia terminal adapters (MTA), digital subscriber line (DSL) modems, wireless modems, and set-top boxes (STB), among others. Examples of terminating systems include cable modem termination systems (CMTS), edge quadrature amplitude modulation (Edge-QAM) devices, digital subscriber line access multiplexers (DSLAM), satellite devices, and wireless cellular towers, among others.
Broadband devices use various broadband protocols to deliver telecommunications services such as, for example, video, telephony, and high-speed Internet data to users over network infrastructure. Each of the varied broadband protocols encompasses a concept of transmission from the user to the terminating system and transmission from the terminating system to the user. For example, in cable broadband infrastructure, the transmission from the CM to the CMTS is called an upstream transmission. Conversely, transmission from the CMTS to the CM is called a downstream transmission.
Among the most common services are high-speed internet data to replace traditional dial-up, digital video to replace traditional broadcast television (e.g., over-the-air (OTA)), and voice over internet protocol (VoIP) telephony to replace traditional private branch exchange (PBX) telephony. The addition of VoIP telephony services is facilitated by increased, reliable uptime in case primary power to the broadband device is lost and the user would like to place a telephone call. Accordingly, many broadband devices are equipped with an additional backup battery source for use in case traditional power is temporarily lost. However, broadband devices can require a significant amount of power as functions and data rates increase thereby reducing the life of the backup battery and limiting the use of telephony services.
Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.